Nightmare Reality
by Cry4theDevil
Summary: After Will's enslavement he has nightmares and Halt finds something out that changes everything. Hints of Ragnak/Will, hinted slash, you've been warned.


Will's dreams were always haunted by nightmarish figures and abusive masters from when he had been captured, shipped off to Skandia and then sold as a slave. Half the time he would wake up gasping for breath in the middle of the night, Halt, his mentor and master (not literally) usually getting up and sitting with him until he goes back to sleep.

This become a common occurrence. Though the first time Halt had awoken thinking someone had managed to slip into the little cabin they called home and was strangling his apprentice. When he entered the room with sly agility he merely found Will gasping as he shook, sweat drenching his clothes. Halt, being the way he is, called out his name softly.

"Will," he said gently, not wanting to scare the already afraid boy.

Will's head snapped up at the sound of Halt's voice and he eagerly got up, stumbling as he latched onto the older man, burying his face in Halt's shoulder.

The Ranger froze, the inner turmoil that was raging within him soon abated when Will looked up with fear filled eyes. "Are you okay?" Halt asked, wrapping an arm around Will's back so he could embrace the apprentice in return. Trying to comfort him in what Halt hoped was a fatherly way.

Will shook his head, "I was there again…" he whispered, shuddering as he remembered the biting cold of ice, snow and bone chilling winds when he had been forced to work outside during his captivity in the freezing country of Skandia.

"I was back in Skandia," the apprentice couldn't help but allow tears to start trailing down his face, "it was different, I wasn't being overworked as a outdoor slave…" He stopped and lifted a hand to wipe his face.

Halt knew it might not be the best way to go about this but, usually it helped it people talked about their fears and nightmares so he pressed a bit. "What were you then?" His voice was less stern, in a way it was softer, kinder as he tried to put on the fatherly figure act.

"Halt," Will started, sniffling, "I was the Oberjarl's personal concubine."

Halt could feel Will's body trembling against his as those words were said. Although it hadn't actually happened, to Halt's knowledge that is, a nightmare could feel as real as reality felt. Just as Halt was about to speak an attempt at comforting the boy Will continued.

"You know, Skandian's are big and brutish, like vikings," Will murmured, remembering the way some of them had beaten some of the slaves to death with only a few punches, the men were truly huge, "well, their Oberjarl is worse, he's far more ruthless than any of the rest of them. In order to keep order he uses fear and strict punishments."

Halt knew the things Will was telling him already from recent studies on the cold dwelling country people but he feared where this nightmare was leading to.

"He chose me, I don't know why, maybe he has a preference for men but at first he didn't tell me what I was, he claimed I be a slave like the maids who would clean his things or send messages throughout the castle to other high ranking officials." Will stopped, grasping Halt's Ranger cloak with deft hands, he squeezed. "Later he told me what I was to be used for and then after that he showed me. Let me experience my new job first hand."

Halt's grim face changed suddenly, a small frown tugged at his lips, this didn't sound like a dream. It sounded as if Will was reciting a memory of his. "Will," he said, voice low, but not dangerous, as he watched Will's brown eyes flicker away from his, "this isn't a nightmare is it?"

To Halt's dismay Will shook his head, "It isn't," his voice was far to quiet, far to submissive for Halt's liking and he wondered if the Skandian King had forever branded the urge to submit into Will's system. Or maybe it was the constant violation for nearly a full year that had broke his apprentice into what he was now.

He didn't know what to say but thankfully Will did, "Thank you," he said, a small - forced - smile playing out on his lips, "thank you for listening to me Halt."

Halt's brows furrowed and he watched in slight shock as Will pulled away from his grasp and wordlessly slid back into his bed.

That night had been a year ago and ever since then he had seen the change in Will. The way he moved, cautious like Ranger's were but on edge as if some monster would jump out at him and devour him whole.

There had been no treaty with Skandia and ever since that night Halt had silently vowed to himself for the sake of his apprentice that there never would be a treaty with that foul country.

That was the least Halt could do for Will.

* * *

**A/n**: Just something I randomly wrote like two days ago. Pretty much there is no treaty between Skandia and Araluan after Halt and Horace save Will because Halt finds out during Will's first night back that the Oberjarl of Skandia not only abused Will as any other slave would be abused but he also selected Will to be his personal concubine (in this story a sex slave). Don't ask me why I thought this up but whatever xD I was practicing writing Halt to a friend when I wrote this so yeah... it's VERY rough around the edges and you'd sort of need to know the books to understand whats what even though I made the Skandian's sound much more worse than they really are and such....

Eh. This IS so I can change what I want haha.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ranger's Apprentice, only writing out stories like this for fun.

If anyone cares for it I might write a short story on Will's enslavement (based around this story so being Ragnak picking Will as a personal slave etc). THAT'S IF ANYONE WANTS THAT!

Review if you want.

(:

No flames.


End file.
